Med-Optics partners with Lubaga Hospital for eye care service

Due to the high burden of eye disease in the country, Lubaga Hospital has partnered with Med -Optics Vision Center to upgrade the institution’s capacity to give better eye care services to Ugandans. 

Dr. Julius Luyimbazi the new Executive Director of Lubaga Hospital says the new partnership will enable the hospital to become a leading unit for professional eye care services.

Lubaga Hospital sees an average of 1500 patients annually with mixed kinds of eye problems.  According to Dr. Luyimbazi some of the patients walk in the hospital not knowing that they actually have eye disorders.

The proportion of patients who do not know that they have eye problems is bigger than those who know that they have them.

It’s against this background that Dr. Luyimbazi noted that hospitals have to upgrade their capacity to boost their eye departments.

“The reason for this partnership is that we want to grow our capacity to take care of Ugandans as far as eye care is concerned. This involves equipment, it involves availing of skilled resources, availing frames and lenses. And as far as Lubaga hospital is concerned we have brought on board a partner who has a lot of expertise, a lot of experience and a lot of resources that are going to help us grow in this branch of health care in Uganda” stated Dr. Luyimbazi  

The managing Director Med-Optics Mr. Anguyo Dralega said  this partnership will ensure that ophthalmic services are available for Ugandans.

He revealed that Med-Optics has been able to help to train optometrists in association with Makerere University.

 This year a cohort of 17 optometrists will graduate this year.

“We are hopeful that 10 to 15 will graduate to get into the market. And that will improve the number of optometrists that are home grown in Uganda here who are ready to go and serve” he averred.

He said Lubaga hospital picked Med-Optics to expand their eye care services because the organization has worked very well in the past 19 years to expand services, to build capacity, and actually on our merit of  the services we provide to  the public, they decided that we are the suitable partners to be able to help and grow the eye care services in Lubaga hospital”.

Dr.  Joseph Seremba the chairman board of governors Lubaga hospital  said that over the years they have been watching the growth of the eye department which was slow but hastened to add that the coming of Med-Optics “I think this is new blood into the eye department, and we have high expectations now that Med-optics is on board.”

For Dr. Seremba, when you have a stronger partner than yourself you can be helped to move faster than trying to struggle alone.

Professor  Fabian Nabugomu, the chairman board of directors  Med-optics said this partnership will help patients coming to the hospital to get comprehensive solutions to their eye problems.

“We bring into the partnership a lot of experience, in the field, we bring commitment to professionalism and we bring commitment to client satisfaction. We want to serve our patients to the highest and best standards of services. Lubaga hospital is very well known for that, and we look forward to strengthening each other’s capacities in providing health care” said Prof. Nabugomu    

 Lubaga hospital is now the ninth Center for Med-Optics and Dr. Seremba assured them of their cooperation.

Med-Optics was established in 2002 and has 12 Optometrists, two optical laboratories, and four regional centers.